the MBTA

Today or tomorrow may break the record for hottest day in early July. It's hot as hell, and I have no AC.

And the train to work wasn't running this morning.

However, while waiting with some people for a bus to take us to another train station, I heard tell of a fire on the tracks, somewhere nearby (as they'd only closed a portion of the route).

What makes that interesting is that there was one yesterday as well.

A friend and I were at the Porter T stop, and it was filled with smoke, and a smell instantly recognisable to anyone with a misspent youth. Sulphur and charcoal. It smelled like fireworks or black powder.

Peering down into the murky recesses of the tunnel, we could see something that appeared to be ablaze. It looked rather like a box, and was billowing out smoke at a rather prodigious rate. And sure enough, as the train approached, someone came out with a fire extinguisher and saw to it.

Questions remain though.
1) Is there a link?
2) Who the hell is moronic enough to pull a stunt like this? Boston if famously paranoid about attacks (see here). The amount of shit you'd get into for chucking a box of fireworks on a subway track? You'd be lucky if they didn't send you to Gitmo!

Hopefully this doesn't become a trend. I rather need the fully air conditioned train in this destructive heat.